Quality Assurance

Conducting Objective Baseline Studies: Objective baseline studies are ones which are viewed as factual and non argumentative. There are very few objective studies that can be conducted within information services. Objective means performed by counting, and what can be counted must be considered non argumentative. For example, if we wanted to know how many lines of executable code were in a program, and let us assume we can define what is meant by a line of executable code, then we could count those lines and have an objective baseline.

We need to note that what may appear as objective, may really be more subjective. For example, if we ask people to keep time records, and then record hours worked based on those times, we must make the assumption that the count is accurate. In most instances, the hours count is subjective because many will record their hours worked at the end of each month, and thus the hours count is a subjective measure and not an objective measure.

Objective measures are those, which can be accomplished by counting. Examples of objective baseline measures that can be used for baselines include:

• Project completed on schedule
• Lines of code
• Number of programs
• Number of people assigned to a projectNumber of abnormal terminations

Again, the exactness of the counting will actually determine whether the above measures are objective or subjective. It is important to recognize that there are very few objective measures, and thus we are forced to use subjective measures in measuring quality and productivity.

Conducting Subjective Baseline Studies: Subjective baseline studies will be the most commonly conducted studies in measuring quality and productivity. Subjective means that judgment is applied in making the measure. We noted in the discussion on objective measures that when the individual involved in recording time has the option of applying judgment, then the measure becomes subjective.

Baselines should be quantitative even if it is a subjective measure, but quantitatively subjective. For example, because quality conformance and nonconformance must be defined by people, we are looking for ways to put this information into a quantifiable format. This does not convey a lot of information, but it is indicative of a problem. However, if we develop a five-point scale for unresponsiveness, and ask your dissatisfied customer to complete that scale, we now have conveyed a lot more information. If our scale rates “1” as very poor service, and “5” as very good service, there is a great deal of difference between a “1” rating and a “3” rating for dissatisfaction.

Examples of products/services that can be measured subjectively for developing a baseline include:

• Customer satisfaction
• Effectiveness of standards/manuals
• Helpfulness of methodologies to solve problems
• Areas/activities causing the greatest impediments to quality/productivity
• Causes for missed schedules/over-budget conditions
• Understandability of training materials
• Value of tools
• Importance of activities/standards/methods/tools to individual activity

Baselines can be conducted for any one of the following three purposes:

• Planning: To determine where detailed investigation/survey should be undertaken.
• Internal analysis: To identify problems/areas for quality improvement. Once the problem/area has been identified, then no additional effort need be undertaken to formalize the results.
• Benchmarking: Comparison against external organizations.